Dressage-News

LEUDELANGE, Luxembourg, July 6, 2017–Steffen Peters on Rosamunde and Ashley Holzer on Havanna made it one-two in the CDI4* Grand Prix Friday, at the second of three European events to select the American team for the World Equestrian Games in Tryon, North Carolina in two months.

Steffen and the 11-year-old Rhinelander mare were awarded 75.652 per cent, the highest score for the pair in two years.

Ashley and Havanna, 11-year-old Hanoverian mare, placed second on 71.935 per cent.

Luxembourg’s Sascha Schulz on Dragao was third on 71.913 per cent.

“Rosie was today even better than in Rotterdam,” Steffen told dressage-news.com. “A clean test with a lot of controlled power. A few nines on the trot extensions and canter pirouettes.

“This is exactly the feeling I was looking for. And I hope that Rosie and I can support the US team with another ride like this in Aachen.”

Ashley, the Canadian Olympian who now rides for the United States and is on her first American team tour, said:

“The US program has been so helpful. It truly has made all the difference. She is really improving with Robert’s (Dover) and Debbie’s (McDonald) help. The support we as US riders receive is over the top.”

The results came two weeks before the premier World Equestrian Festival in Aachen, Germany that will decide the four combinations for The Dutta Corp. team to start at Tryon with the goal of returning to the medals podium for the first time since 2006 at a WEG that are held once every four years.

And the initial results here reversed the scoring at Rotterdam, Netherlands where two judges–Holland’s Mariette Sanders van Gansewinkel and Finland’s Maria Colliander between them placed American riders last by significant margins in both the CDIO5* Nations Cup and the CDI3* Grand Prix.

Laura Graves who was to compete her world No. 2 mount Verdades here opted to focus on training at the American base in Belgium ahead of Aachen where in 2017 she became the first and still only combination to beat world No. 1 Isabell Werth on Weihegold OLD since the 2016 Olympics. The American pair did it in the Grand Prix Special, then repeated the feat in the Grand Prix at the World Cup Final in Paris in April–still the only pair to best Germany’s top partnership.

Laura and Verdades have ranked in the world’s top five for almost two years, longer than any other American combination since the current world ranking format was impemented more than a decade ago.

For Steffen of San Diego, California and Rosamunde, the victory came in the fifth year of international competition for the duo ranked 26th in the world. Rosamunde was given a break of several months after the World Cup in Omaha, Nebraska in 2017 and has returned this year appearing likely to go to his fourth straight world championships–winning team bronze in 2006 and individual and freestyle bronze in 2010.

Results:

CDI4* Grand Prix

Pl.	Nat.		Rider		Horse  Sex / Studbook / Color / Born / Sire x Dam sire / Breeder / Owner		E	H	C	M	B
1	USA		Steffen Peters		Rosamunde   Mare / RHEIN / Bay / 2007 / Rock Forever x Fidermark / Hannelore Koch, Nümbrecht / Four Winds Farm		75.870    1	73.913   1	74.891    1	75.652    1	77.935     1	75.652
2	USA		Ashley Holzer		Havanna 145  Mare / HANN / Bay / 2007 / Hochadel x Rodgau / Walter Robert / Diane Fellows		73.261     2	70.000   4	70.217     5	72.174    3	74.022    2	71.935
3	LUX		Sascha Schulz		Dragao  Stallion / LUSIT / Ruça / 2008 / Unico / / Dressage Grand-Ducal		73.043    3	70.761   2	71.7392	71.6304	72.3913	71.913
4	POR		Maria Caetano		Coroado  Stallion / LUSIT / Ruça / 2007 / Rubi / Coudelaria De Alter / Juan Manuel Cordeiro		66.957    11	70.652   3	71.304    3	71.196    5	70.870    4	70.196
5	BEL		Isabel Cool		Aranco V  Stallion / KWPN / Bay / 2005 / Ferro x G.Ramiro Z / P. Van De Vleuten, Sint-Oedenrode / Isabel Cool		67.826    8	69.130   5	70.978    4	72.283   2	69.348   5	69.913
6	NED		Tosca Visser Van Der Meulen		Asther de Jeu  Mare / KWPN / Darkbay / 2005 / Contango x Jazz / Emmy De Jeu, Oosterstreek / A.F.M. Visser- V.D. Meulen		69.457   6	69.130   5	67.826   7	69.348    7	67.609    8	68.674
7	JPN		Kazuki Sado		Barolo  Gelding / HANN / Chestnut / 2006 / Breitling W x Hitchcock / Eustace, Diane, Surrey / Japan Racing Association		65.761   14	69.022   7	67.826   7	69.239   8	69.022    7	68.174
8	NED		Tommie Visser		Variohippique’s Vingino  Gelding / KWPN / Black / 2002 / Polansky x Variant / Stv Dressagefarm, Handel / T. Visser		67.500   9	68.152   8	68.587     6	69.674   6	66.304   13	68.043
9	BEL		Jeroen Devroe		Eres DL  Gelding / BWP / Bay / 2004 / Sir Lui x Balzflug / Lousberg Daniel Za / Lousberg Daniel		67.174   10	66.304  9	67.609    9	68.043   9	66.522   11	67.130
10	ESP		Juan Antonio Jimenez Cobo		Euclides Mor  Stallion / / Ruça / 2009 / Riopele / / Abelardo Morales Puron		66.413   13	64.565   13	66.304  12	67.609  10	69.348   5	66.848
11	POL		Magdalena Jura		Ron  Gelding / PZHK / Bay / 2007 / Samba Hit x Rabus / Malgorzata Lisiecka, Bojanowo / Bartosz Jura		69.674   4	65.652  10	66.848  11	63.696   14	66.739  10	66.522
12	GER		Ursula Wagner		Dilenzio Old  Gelding / OLDBG / Chestnut / 2007 / Duino 2 x Weltmeyer / Renschen, Renate / Wagner, Ursula		68.152    7	65.217   11	66.087  13	65.543   11	66.848  9	66.370
13	LUX		Fie Christine Skarsoe		So Dark   Mare / HANN / Black / 2007 / / Lütjen Erika / Schönhofen Victoria Marie		66.630   12	65.109   12	67.500   10	64.783  13	66.522  11	66.109
14	NED		Nars Gottmer		Dicaprio Swing   Gelding / KWPN / Darkchestnut / 2008 / Jazz x Optiebeurs Zebulon R / J.P. Eschauzier & E. Schreutelkamp / Matty Marissink Stables		69.674    4	64.239  14	64.891  14	64.891  12	63.261  14	65.391
15	NED		Saskia Maertens		Legend Of Loxley    Gelding / WESTF / Bay / 2007 / Lord Loxley x Darwin / P. Crum / S. Maertens & V.H.J.L. Verberne		59.130   15	59.348   15	57.065  15	56.304  15	57.391  15	57.848